No Job? Too Bad!

It’s still happening, folks. Long-term unemployed are still being shut out of jobs simply because they had the bad luck to be laid off during the worst recession since the Great Depression.

This isn’t just my cynical take, folks. When researchers sent out of over a thousand fictitious resumes, all with roughly the same qualifications, guess who got called in for the interview? Not those who had been out of work for six months or more, even though the long-term jobless in some instances had better qualifications than those who were called in for an interview.

This is a very sad Catch-22. How can unemployed people get back to work if they are summarily dismissed for job openings? How can they become tax-paying, productive citizens again?

I know what the companies will say: If someone has been unemployed for so long, their skills atrophy. So why should we hire a person we will have to train? Companies are loath to train new workers.

Now, as someone who has been through this situation, I can say that is a completely bogus argument. During my unemployment, I did freelance work, putting my unemployment benefits at risk, because I wanted to show potential employers fresh work.

And yes, when I started my job, I had to learn new skills. But with hard work and minimal training from a co-worker, I learned. It wasn’t easy, and I admit, mistakes were made in the beginning. But honestly, some of the new skills didn’t require all that much training; most workers can puzzle it out on their own, as I did and still do.

Companies further howl that they should be allowed to make their own employment decisions, unfettered by regulations. But this practice is clearly discrimination and should be outlawed. It’s illegal.

There are solutions. I say we give free tuition to any community college to anyone unemployed for over a year. They can learn new skills and get back into the working world.

I recently read that the younger brother of the pair who set off bombs at the Boston Marathon received a scholarship to attend college, a good college most of us would never have the opportunity to attend.

So we give money to someone who hates this country so much he kills innocent people but we can’t give a job or tuition to someone who has been out of work for six months?

What I know for sure...

Oprah Winfrey has a listing of what she calls “What I know for sure,” in which she bestows her pearls of wisdom. There are worse people you can take advice from.

In that vein, I’d like to list the things I have learned from working, being laid off and life in general:

Companies don’t care about their workers. They care about the bottom line. If they have to cut workers to save the company, they will do that.

Upper management doesn’t care about workers. Upper management cares only about perpetuating their own power base and being surrounding by their sycophantic favorites. If you are not one of their favorites, start packing up your desk.

Companies don’t care about the workers they have laid off. They care about the public and their competitors knowing they have laid off workers.

There are worse things than being laid off: losing a loved one, being diagnosed with a serious illness. Yet losing your job is nevertheless a traumatic experience.

The people who tell you that being laid off is no big deal have never been laid off.

The New York Mets bullpen sucks.

Some laid off workers are OK with it; others are bitter and angry. It depends on the individual and how they process the termination. We should not judge.

If you are laid off, don’t be surprised if you find out later that one of so-called work “friends” stabbed you in the back to ensure your termination.

If a co-worker gets laid off and you are still on staff, DO NOT say to your former co-worker that “they had to lay you off to save the company.”

They are called skinny jeans for a reason. If you are not skinny, do not wear them.

The “reply all” function is not your friend. Use sparingly.

Sean Connery was the best Bond.

In my interactions with all people, I try to stay positive and sympathetic, keeping whining to a minimum. Yet when I hear people say they don’ want to be around negative people, I think what they really mean is, “I don’t want to hear your problems, but let’s talk about me …”

What goes around, comes around. Treat people kindly, and you'll get kindness in return. If you treat people badly, you'll get that in return.  I have seen this in my life, both for the good and the bad.

When you treat people badly, apologize and makes amends as soon as humanly possible. It's all you can do.

Some people will always think they are better than you. Let them.

Some people will treat you badly. Let them. Trust that they will get their comeuppance someday, in some way.

Nothing is better than dark chocolate.

If a company has targeted you for a layoff or has eliminated your position, there isn’t much you can do about it,

What you can do, and the only course any worker can take, is to come into work every day and do your job to the best of your ability … until they tell you not to.

So, there’s my “What I know” list. What are some of yours?

Mixed Signals

Reading articles on the economy and the job market nowadays can give a person a severe case of whiplash.

Unemployment is down to around 7% after hitting a high of nearly 10% some three years ago. Hooray!

Yet major companies like Disney and Caterpillar have announced layoffs and jobless claims are up. Closer to home, my own company continues to cut positions and my gut feeling is that more layoffs are on the way.

So what gives? Which do we believe?

An article I read this morning puts it all in perspective. Yes, the unemployment rate is down, but that’s because many long-term jobless have simply given up looking for work. Either they have retired early (if they were in their 50s), gone on disability (if they qualified), or gone back to school (if they are younger).

“Unemployment dropped for all the wrong reasons,” summed up one economist.

This is happening in our supposedly recovering economy? When will it ever end? When will companies start to hire again and stop this vicious cycle of more and more layoffs?

I have to chuckle every time I read a politician or some commentator complain about people living off of unemployment benefits. First, we’ve paid into that fund with our payroll taxes, so we are, in essence, getting our own money back. Why is right for us taxpayers to bail out major companies when they make stupid mistakes, but honest, hard-working people can’t get funds to help them when they are going through a rough patch with no work?

Second, once those unemployment benefits run out and a person cannot find work, they are going to move to another social safety net, like foods stamps, disability or Social Security. Yet nobody, least of all the corporations, want to pay taxes that help support those programs.

And most likely, jobless people are receiving less income then they were when they were working, so they cannot buy goods and services, which forces companies to cut more workers.

So come on, Mr. CEO, how about hiring more workers? Let’s stop this vicious cycle. Put people to work and get this economy moving forward again. We’ll all benefit.

Potato Chips

Way back when, there was a popular TV commercial about potato chips. The clever tagline was: “Bet you can’t eat just one!” (Never could myself.)

In today’s corporate world, perhaps the mantra should be: “Bet you can’t cut just one employee!”

That point was driven home this week when we received an email from our CEO about some “exciting” transformations in one of our departments. Once you read beyond that cheery opening, he got down to brass tacks and used a word that strikes fear into every worker’s heart: outsourcing. Yes, some of the department’s functions were being outsourced and because of that, six people were being let go by the end of the month. (Side note: If you were informed your job was being eliminated in three weeks, would you stay or would say, Frug you, and leave immediately?)

Naturally, he expressed regret over those employees who were losing their jobs (spare me your faux concern). But it had to be done to “transform” the company.

By my count this makes 16 people who have been let go since the beginning of the year. This after an entire department was pretty much wiped out in the fall…and after the CEO said he wasn’t planning any more personnel cuts. Oh, really….

To be fair, I truly understand that companies have to make expense cuts to survive and unfortunately, that means jobs are eliminated. Corporations have been in survival mode for so long that they have adopted a bunker mentality and are simply hunkering down in an effort to stay afloat. When the next economic tsunami hits, they want to be ready. Hard to argue with that logic.

But sometimes I wonder if corporations are taking it to an extreme.

When does cost cutting mutate from being a means to an end (higher profits, a leaner operation) to an end in and of itself? Is it possible that cost cutting can become the sole purpose of the corporation, its raison d'etre? Let’s cut more and more! Build up those profits! But what about making new products and services? Have corporations forgotten their basic missions? Have U.S. companies become nothing more that cost-cutting, job-slashing machines? How much can a company outsource before it becomes nothing more than a desk and a modem?

Cost cutting and eliminating jobs are easy to do. But innovation, well, that’s a lot tougher. And if a company wants to expand they will have to hire more employees, right? But that’s against their corporate mission.

And just because a company may hire in one area while cutting in others doesn’t mean the company is expanding. It just means it is maintaining the status quo. Until you actually hire more and expand your employee base or add new goods or services, you are merely shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

And what of our CEO, who clearly said he wasn’t planning any more job cuts. How can we believe or trust him? Which department will he and management target for transformation next? How many more of us will lose our jobs?

Because when it comes to employees, bet you can’t just cut one.

“Do you want to hire us?”

Dear Corporate Fat Cats:

It’s been a while since I last sent you a letter. I hope you are doing well, what with all the corporate profits you are racking in, you must be quite pleased with yourself.

And with the help of your friends in Congress, you will be paying less in taxes. How wonderful for you.

Alas, some of your corporations aren’t doing so well, like JC Penney. But you can always cut more staff. That is a surefire way to boost profits, right? Cut your way to profitability is always the path to take when you need to increase your bonuses.

It’s too bad that the people you have laid off can no longer buy your goods or services. But, hey, if things get worse, just lay off more people, right?

It really takes too much time and effort to come up with new goods and services people will actually want to buy. Better to cut expenses than build new plants to manufacture products that will put people to work. Who needs new revenue streams when you can simply cut more workers? Wall Streets loves, absolutely loves, a company that lays off more and more workers.

But aren't you supposed to be the job creators? 

But it’s not your fault, Mr. Corporate Fat Cat. You want to hire more people, you really do, but they don’t have the skills you need, or so you say. Lower your taxes and you may hire more workers, you tell us.

How about paying your fair share of taxes so our high schools and community colleges can educate future workers with the skills you need? Just a suggestion.

Even if applicants came to you with the skills you say you need, would you hire them? I mean, that would mean spending money on their salaries, and that would cut into your annual bonuses. Not so sure about that, are you? Why ruin a good thing.

So I have to ask, Do you want to hire us?

Sincerely,

The American Worker

Somebody I used to know

Sometimes, I think working in the Decade of Mass Layoffs is a little like being in an old World War II movie.

You know the kind I mean, the type of movie they show on Turner Classic Movies. Movies made in the late 1940s and 1950s, when the war was still fresh in the minds of the public.

It usually featured a Major Hollywood Movie Star (well past draft age) in the lead role as the Grizzled Veteran. Whether he lived or died was the major theme of the movie. But there is usually a fairly standard subplot that goes something like this:

A New Recruit to the Army/Marine unit tries to buddy up to the Grizzled Veteran, who quickly rebuffs the newcomer with a line like, “I don’t want to get close to anybody. You could be killed tomorrow! Leave me alone!”

Cue the screeching rocket that scores a direct hit on the New Recruit and obliterates him, or watch as the New Recruit makes a dumb move and gets blown away in a barrage of bullets. Next shot: A look of horror and pain on the Grizzled Veteran’s face.

Why do I bring this up? What connection does this have to the workplace of 2010s? Because on Friday, a woman colleague who I had become friendly with at the workplace was, you guessed it, laid off.

Now, the reason was her position was eliminated. And honestly, she knew it was coming and had not been getting along with her bosses for quite some time. So there was nothing unexpected about it.

Yet how often has this scene played out in offices across the country since 2008? How often have workers been given their walking papers? How often have workers had to say good-bye to colleagues they had known for decades?

Intellectually, we may understand the reasons. Companies shift direction, make budget cuts, have different staffing needs, and employees will lose their jobs because of it.

Yet that doesn’t mean the people being thrown away can’t be angry or bitter. It doesn’t mean those left behind can’t be sad to see a colleague go. We have every right to feel those emotions just as much as companies have the right to make staffing decisions. It doesn't mean we can't feel sad for what was lost.

Corporations may think they are doing the right thing, and that might be true. But they fail to understand the real-life impact on those they are jettisoning, or the workers left behind. Walking past cleared-out, empty cubicles doesn’t exactly give the impression of a thriving workplace.  Any worker who sees that is going to take the first train out of town.

How often have I heard family members or friends talk about how their workplace changed after so many colleagues were let go? “It used to be such a friendly place to work. Now…”

In this particular instance, my former co-worker’s job had been causing her a lot of stress, so in sense, she was relieved. But having been through the situation myself, I know she is merely trading one set of stresses for another.

Though the employment picture has improved somewhat since 2009 when I was laid off, it is still a pretty unforgiving market for job seekers. Companies don’t seem to want to hire workers (more on that in another entry). And they know they can be very, very picky when it comes to whom they do hire.

She could find another job in six days, or six weeks, or six months. Or her unemployment could stretch to 16 months, or longer. I hope for her sake she finds something quickly. However, there is no assurance her new job will be any less stressful than her former job.

Or she could follow her dream of owning her own bookstore. I wish her the best of luck.

In the meantime, she’d better grow a hide as a thick as a buffalo’s. Looking for a job means you are subjected to near-constant rejection. Even when you are lucky enough to get called in for an interview, you can expect at best, condescension on the part of the interviewer, or at worst, downright insults. I should know. I was subjected to both. It can be a stressful, demoralizing exercise, trying to find work.

What makes it even worse is that laid-off workers are characterized as “takers” or freeloaders. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want to work, but the so-called job creators don’t want to hire us. They’d rather rake in profits than put people to work. Some firms still have a bias against hiring laid-off workers. Absolutely shameful and possibly illegal.

But let’s get back to my original premise. Like the Grizzled Veteran stomping across Europe or the Pacific, just how close should we get to our co-workers, when we know any day our jobs could be terminated and we’re tossed in the dustbin, the unwanted litter of corporate cost-cutting?

We could see each other outside the office, of course. But in some cases, we may live hours apart, making it hard to get together. In all likelihood, the relationship ends once we no longer see each other at the office. That's kinda sad.

Perhaps the best course is to be cordial, helpful and respectful of our colleagues. A workplace of grumpy loners and backstabbers would be a pretty toxic place to work. So be friendly, but don’t make good friends at work.

Because when you or one of them is let go, they will be just somebody you used to know.

For the Greater Corporate Good

Hate to say I told you so, but I called this one pretty accurately.

Back in the fall, our new CEO unveiled his new (rather vague) vision for the company. Yes, some positions were eliminated, but, no, more staffing cuts weren’t planned.

Well, about two weeks ago, another note from the CEO was sent around. Two product lines were cut and nine jobs were eliminated. I thought back in the fall he shouldn’t have made any comments on future cuts, and that more layoffs were possible. Turns out I was right.

His justification? The product lines were unprofitable and didn’t fit in the overall plan for the company. He may be right, but since none except the All White Males Club get to see the financials, we really don’t know how unprofitable those products were.

As for those who lost their jobs, to his credit, he did say it was hard decision. Yet in the same sentence, he went on to say that it had to be done so the company could move forward with its new strategic plan.

Ah, now I get it. Those workers were sacrificed for The Greater Corporate Good. Because in today’s business world, it’s about profits, corporate strategy and pleasing the board and shareholders. Workers? Who gives a rat’s butt about them? In our society, corporations trump actual human beings. There once was a time when companies cared about their workers. Not anymore.

On one hand, I give this CEO props for being as candid as he can be. At my former job, they told us nothing and if you asked any questions, however innocuous, you received a severe reprimand.

I also believe it was a difficult decision for him. I saw him the morning of the day the cuts were announced and he did not look happy. But if he truly felt that bad, why not find a way to keep those people employed? Just asking. I have seen many managers make some pretty amazing maneuvers to save their favorite drinking buddies and lapdogs, shifting them to other positions or giving them outright busy work to keep them employed. Many times fine, productive workers are laid off to save a manager's happy hour BFF. So I don't buy the argument that another job couldn't have been found for us.

Nevertheless, as someone who was jettisoned for The Greater Corporate Good, the whole incident makes me a bit angry and fearful. Could I be next? How many more cuts are coming? One of the people cut worked at the cubicle next to mine. He was a young guy with a young family. How painful must the layoff have been for him and his family?

The note, of course, did include a fair amount of Corporate Doublespeak. The cuts were done, so we were told, in order that the company could someday undertake future acquisitions. Well, methinks you should get your current house in order before you start thinking about expansions.

Then there was a line about “managing legacy operating systems.” To me, those are code words for: Some product lines better start showing a profit soon or more people will be out on their asses. Music to every employee’s ears.

Yet companies persist in cutting workers and justifying it for The Greater Corporate Good. But if the past decade has taught us anything it’s that any behavior can be justified, whether it’s flying a plane into an office building and killing thousands or undertaking mass layoffs. There is always a reason to justify our actions, whether good or bad, especially the bad.

Considering how many companies have cut loose employees, I’m amazed by how they bungle the process every time. Presumably, they have professional HR people who should know how to handle these situations better. Their actions have harsh real-life consequences for those laid off. How about treating us with a little dignity and gratitude for our service?

Instead, they treat us horribly and leave behind a trail of humiliated and upset laid-off workers (and whiny bloggers). I was left with the impression that after 16-plus years I was no longer of use to the company and that my salary was keeping the company from succeeding. Honestly, when I was told to pack up my desk and leave I felt like a criminal!

They also fail to take into account the impact on the remaining workers. How they feel when longtime co-workers are shown the door. How they feel about a stepped-up workload. The anxiety it causes them about their own job security.

And let me ask this: Were the salaries of those eliminated workers really dragging down the company’s profits? Is the company automatically more profitable now? How come they were useful one day and not the next, all based on some vague strategy? Will this grand plan actually work out? Or were these layoffs done in vain?

And what of this CEO’s grand plan? What happens if it doesn’t work out? At this point, they are just words on a piece of paper. In my experience plans either work out spectacularly, work out but not as great as we hope, or fail miserably. If the plan fails miserably, will the CEO take the fall and resign? (Don’t bet on it.) Or will others make the sacrifice for The Greater Corporate Good?

The whole thing stinks in my opinion. It also proves what a losing proposition it is for any worker to be loyal to any company.

So be loyal to your family, good (non-work) friends, your hairdresser, and sports team (even when they break your heart), but never, ever your employer. Your employer will cut you in a minute—all in the name of The Greater Corporate Good.